My daughter has a friend who just bought a house in the Pittsburgh area. He's not familiar with the area, has no friends there. She'd like to give him a going away/housewarming gift that might help to ease his way into the area. I don't know the specific area of Pittsburgh in which he's purchased the house. So it would have to be something general to the area.

The only thing that comes to mind for me would be a gift card to a local chain of restaurants that he could use while he's unpacking. But I'd sure like to hear some other suggestions. Or the name of a restaurant chain!

Would there be some kind of tour of the city to which she could purchase him a ticket? Or something else that might help to familiarize him with the area? A good guide book,...?

We'd be very grateful for any ideas!

How about a membership to the Carnegie Musuem? Or if he is outgoing and might ask someone to join him, tickets to a baseball game, Symphony, Theatre, Pitt football or basketball game.

Good ideas, Rachel. Thanks!

Any kind of sports event is really fun. Depending on how much you want to spend, obviously Steelers tickets are wonderful, but it's definately worth going to PNC Park for a Pirates game (the stadium is fantastic enough to make up for the horrible game he'll probably see!), you get gorgeous views of the city.

Membership to the Carnegie is always nice, or if he likes more modern art the Andy Warhol Museum always has something interesting.

As far as restaurants, it's hard to say without knowing the neighborhood - it would be a shame to get him a g/c to a restaurant that would be a pain to get to!

pittpurple, thanks for the ideas. Considering that he thought the Steelers were a baseball team, I'm not sure sporting events are the answer! Although the view from the stadium may make it worth it!

Very good point about the restaurant!

Lots of young folks (assuming he might be a young grad - or even if he is not) like IKEA and not every town has one, but Pittsburgh does. You can get a gift certificate online: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/custome...rvices.html#10

That's an excellent idea, bjboothman! He's not taking any furniture with him. So, obviously, he's going to be buying a lot when he gets there.

We've actually been talking about going to Ikea all summer. Looks like this may be the week to go!

Thanks so much for letting me know there's one in Pittsburgh! I probably wouldn't even have thought of it because, as you said, not every area has one.

The IKEA is right near the airport outside the city and is definately a great choice for a g/c! Everyone loves Ikea. If you want to get a restaurant g/c you can get one for any chain restaurant - Friday's, Applebees, etc... there's basically everything in Pittsburgh, assuming he'll have a car.

I'm voting for Ikea though... great idea pp!

Another idea - once she knows his specific address, how about a prepaid subscription to the local paper, www.postgazette.com ? I'm not saying it's the worlds greatest piece of literature, but a newcomer would certainly appreciate familiarizing himself with the area that way - and the poor guy will probably have lots of time alone until he gets established. It always has a nice Weekender Section which will give him tips on what's going on in town and what there is to do.

If you want to let us know which end of town he's moving into, I'm sure we would be glad to offer even more and better suggestions

Another very good idea, bjboothman! Thanks.